System and method for selecting a view mode using a control including a graphical depiction of the view mode

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for selecting a view mode and a preferred setting within that view mode for displaying one or more items in a screen display. A single user input indicates the selected view mode. The input mechanism can be a hardware device, such as a keyboard or mouse, or a software control presented in a graphical user interface. The software control includes a graphical depiction of the current view mode. A preferred setting for each available view mode may be stored and activated by the software control.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of prior application Ser. No.10/837,069, filed Apr. 30, 2004.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to displaying items on acomputer screen. More particularly, the present invention relates to animproved technique for selecting a view mode using a control including agraphical depiction of the view mode.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A graphical user interface (GUI) provides an intuitive display ofoptions available to the user using graphical controls in addition totext menus. Unfortunately, when the number of options within theinterface becomes large, the sheer mass of information clutters thedisplay confusing the user. This is known as the “information overloadproblem.” An interface designer in these situations intentionally limitsthe single selection display and control to a smaller number of optionsthat is comfortable to a user. By limiting the options, the userinterface is easier to understand but requires more operations toperform the same action, and so efficiency for a trained user becomeslimited. Selecting options using a single selection control also limitsthe ability to operate efficiently because a user must be able todistinguish between the intermediate states created by supplying eachsmall additional amount of information. Until all selections areentered, the user must struggle with a partially configured userinterface.

An obstacle to efficient GUI operation is having two different aspectsof a display that can be adjusted independently. Either the displaycharacteristics are independently adjustable, or “modes” are definedsetting the adjustments to a particular configuration. The user mustfirst select the mode, and then also select a setting within the mode.When a user of Microsoft® Word 2000™ opens a file (as shown in screendisplay 200 in FIG. 2A), the user may first select a view mode (e.g.,List, Details, Properties, Preview), and additionally may select anorder of presentation (e.g., Arrange by Name, Type, Size, or Date). Thisexample requires the user to select a view and then separately select anorder using two different operations. Likewise Microsoft® Windows® 2000™allows icon size to be adjusted and the view to be selected through twoindependent controls. Again, two operations are required for a user toselect the complete configuration. One potential solution is to displayall possible combinations of the two parameters, but that solution canquickly become unmanageable even when there are only a few options foreach parameter. For example, displaying 5 optional modes and 10 possiblesettings within each of those modes would require presentation of 50separate options to the user.

The design challenge is also evident within the file management functionof operating systems and application programs. The use of files iscentral to the use of a personal computer. As operating systems andapplication programs have advanced in complexity and functionality, thenumber and types of files that a user must manage has increased. Overthe years, operating systems and application programs have providedvarious options for users to view their files and to correctly locateparticular files. A list view provides more file details such ascreation date, file name, and file type, referred to as metadata. Anicon view may provide only the filename and the icon associated with theapplication used to create or edit the file. A thumbnail view provides aminiature picture of the content of the file (e.g., a photographic imagefrom a digital camera). Each of these views is useful for different filetypes. More options benefit the user when selecting an appropriate viewmode is an easy and intuitive operation.

Various control mechanisms have been used in past operating systems andfile management applications. When there are just a few options, theseoptions may be displayed as discrete buttons in a menu bar (e.g., onebutton for each mode), which provides for quick toggling between fileview modes. When there are more than three or four options, a singlebutton that activates a drop-down list of view modes provides quickaccess without requiring large amounts of screen real estate. Alsouseful for a relatively large number of options is a combined (or split)button that is divided such that half of the button cycles through theoptions, and the other half activates a drop-down list of view modes.The cycling action allows the user to view each option while thedrop-down list allows the user to select the desired view mode with oneaction.

Another action related to file view modes is the sizing of the icon orthumbnail associated with the file. In various implementations, slidercontrols have been used to scroll the size of the icons from small tolarge over a continuous range. For example, this setting has sometimesbeen applied to all icons in all file views globally within an operatingsystem. Alternatively, this setting has been applied to all icons in aspecific window or folder.

Within these previous file view mode selectors, the size of the icons orthumbnails has not been user selectable by the same control as selectsthe view mode (detailed list, icon, thumbnail). The amount of metadatashown within a particular view mode has not been configurable within thefile view mode selector control. Moreover, the amount of metadata shownwithin a particular view mode has not been driven by icon size.

The proliferation of view modes for file list windows within theoperating system necessitates an improved user interface control toharness the power of multiple options. Current file view mode optionsinclude a detailed list view with configurable degree of metadata andicon sizes, a tiled view with larger icons, but generally less metadatadisplayed, and thumbnail or icon views with images configurable fromsmall to large.

Each of these different file view modes is appropriate for differentfile types. An appropriate view mode is one that is most helpful to theuser for selecting the correct file the first time. Thumbnails areuseful for selecting images, especially those captured by a digitalcamera where the file name is likely a number determined by the camera,which is not familiar to the user. A detailed list with many metadatafields displayed may be more appropriate when selecting among textdocuments, possibly with different create dates or authors, where thefile name is likely descriptive of the content. A tiled view combinesthe best of both detailed and thumbnail views for directories of mixedfile types.

Another obstacle to graphical operation is encountered when there aretwo (or more) alternative ways to control the same parameter(s), and thecontrols are convenient at different times. When both controls are madeavailable they are typically described with text so that the userunderstands that they really control the same parameter(s). For example,as shown in screen display 250 in FIG. 2B, the zoom control inMicrosoft® Word 2000™ presents different alternatives for selecting theamount of zoom. The user can either input a percentage of the actualpresentation, or, alternatively, a descriptive selection is availablesuch as: Zoom to (page width, text width, whole page, many pages). Thisrequires more than one operation because it requires the user to findthe zoom control, and then experiment with the alternatives until theuser finds the right percentage for his or her document. If, forexample, the user settles on 71% after experimentation, the user has novisual cue indicating how this final selection is related to the offeredpreferred settings. The next time that user is faced with the sameproblem, he or she will be forced to remember “71” or else go throughthe same experimentation.

There has long been a need in the GUI design area to provide some methodfor simplifying the information overload problem in a way that isintuitive for the user to understand and operationally efficient oncethe interface has been learned. This is particularly true when there aretwo parameters which must be simultaneously controlled, or when thereare two alternatives for controlling the same parameter which need to bevisually displayed and controlled by the user.

Moreover, there is a need for a convenient control for users to selectamong various file view modes either discretely with preset buttons orcontinuously with a slider control that not only selects the view modebut also modifies the size of icons or thumbnails and varies the amountof metadata displayed. By controlling both the view mode and sizing witha single control, a user could quickly customize the file view mode inone action. Such a combination of continuous and discrete controls wouldprovide both ease of use for the novice user as well as specific controlfor the user who desires a particular view mode including size anddetail preferences.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention meets the above needs and overcomes one or moredeficiencies in the prior art by providing an improved technique forselecting a view mode using a control including a graphical depiction ofthe view mode. One aspect of the present invention provides acomputer-implemented method for selecting a view mode for one or moreitems in a screen display. The method provides a graphical depiction ofthe current view mode on a user interface control. Upon obtaining asingle user input indicative of a selection of one of a plurality ofavailable view modes, the method maps the single user input to theselected view mode and provides a graphical depiction of the selectedview mode on the user interface control.

In another aspect of the invention, a graphical user interface isprovided which includes a screen display and a view control. The viewcontrol is presented in the screen display as a graphical depiction ofthe current view mode, and the view control obtains a single user inputindicative of both a selected view mode and a selected setting withinthe selected view mode.

Still another aspect of the present invention is a view controlpresented in a graphical user interface for user selection of a viewmode and a preferred setting within that view mode. The view controlincludes a display component and a user selection component. The displaycomponent provides a graphical depiction of the current view mode, andthe user selection component receives a single user selection indicativeof one of the available view modes and of one preferred settingassociated with the selected view mode.

Yet another aspect of the invention is an apparatus for selecting a viewmode and a preferred setting within that view mode for a screen displayin which items may be displayed in a plurality of view modes. Theapparatus includes an input mechanism for obtaining a single user inputindicative of both a selected view mode and a preferred setting inresponse to a graphical depiction of the selected view mode and thepreferred setting. The apparatus also includes computer-executableinstructions for mapping the single user input to the selected view modeand for mapping the single user input to the preferred setting withinthat view mode.

A further aspect of the invention provides a computer system configuredfor user selection of a view mode and a preferred setting within thatview mode for a screen display in which items may be displayed in aplurality of view modes. The system allows a user simultaneously toselect one view mode from two or more available view modes and to selecta preferred setting within the selected view mode. The system thenapplies the view mode and selected setting in response to the singleuser selection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described in detail below with reference to theattached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computing system environment suitable foruse in implementing the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a screen display of a user interface for selecting a viewmode from a plurality of view modes during a file open operation in aprior art word processing application program;

FIG. 2B is a screen display of a user interface presenting a pluralityof alternative controls for the same parameter, namely the amount ofzoom, in a prior art word processing application program;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing a method for selecting a view mode anda setting within that view mode for one or more items in a screendisplay in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a graphical user interface having a screendisplay and view control in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an exemplary view control in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention in which the view control includes asetting range display, a view mode range display and a user selectioncomponent operable to receive a single user selection indicative of aview mode and a setting within the selected view mode;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of the view control of FIG. 5, wherein the settingrange display includes a slider and wherein the view mode range displayincludes three available view modes with default settings in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram of an exemplary view control in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention in which the view control includes asetting range display, a view mode range display including a menu withmultiple default settings, and a user selection component;

FIG. 8 is a diagram of the view control of FIG. 5, wherein the settingrange display includes a menu with multiple default settings, andwherein the view mode range display includes three available view modesin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a diagram representative of an exemplary implementation of aview control in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an improved technique for selecting aview mode using a control including a graphical depiction of the viewmode. An exemplary operating environment for the present invention isdescribed below.

Referring to the drawings in general and initially to FIG. 1 inparticular, wherein like reference numerals identify like components inthe various figures, an exemplary operating environment for implementingthe present invention is shown and designated generally as operatingenvironment 100. The computing system environment 100 is only oneexample of a suitable computing environment and is not intended tosuggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of theinvention. Neither should the computing environment 100 be interpretedas having any dependency or requirement relating to any one orcombination of components illustrated in the exemplary operatingenvironment 100.

The invention may be described in the general context ofcomputer-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer. Generally, program modules include routines,programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that performparticular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover,those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may bepracticed with a variety of computer-system configurations, includinghand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based orprogrammable-consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers,and the like. The invention may also be practiced indistributed-computing environments where tasks are performed byremote-processing devices that are linked through a communicationsnetwork. In a distributed-computing environment, program modules may belocated in both local and remote computer-storage media including memorystorage devices.

With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary system 100 for implementing theinvention includes a general purpose computing device in the form of acomputer 110 including a processing unit 120, a system memory 130, and asystem bus 121 that couples various system components including thesystem memory 130 to the processing unit 120.

Computer 110 typically includes a variety of computer-readable media. Byway of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprisecomputer-storage media and communication media. Examples ofcomputer-storage media include, but are not limited to, Random AccessMemory (RAM); Read-Only Memory (ROM); Electronically ErasableProgrammable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM); flash memory or other memorytechnology; CD-ROM, digital versatile discs (DVD) or other optical orholographic disc storage; magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices; or any other medium thatcan be used to store desired information and be accessed by computer110. The system memory 130 includes computer-storage media in the formof volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as ROM 131 and RAM 132. ABasic Input/Output System 133 (BIOS), containing the basic routines thathelp to transfer information between elements within computer 110 (suchas during start-up) is typically stored in ROM 131. RAM 132 typicallycontains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible toand/or presently being operated on by processing unit 120. By way ofexample, and not limitation, FIG. 1 illustrates operating system 134,application programs 135, other program modules 136, and program data137.

The computer 110 may also include other removable/nonremovable,volatile/nonvolatile computer-storage media. By way of example only,FIG. 1 illustrates a hard disk drive 141 that reads from or writes tononremovable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive 151 thatreads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk 152, andan optical disc drive 155 that reads from or writes to a removable,nonvolatile optical disc 156 such as a CD-ROM or other optical media.Other removable/nonremovable, volatile/nonvolatile computer-storagemedia that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include,but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory units,digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solidstate ROM, and the like. The hard disk drive 141 is typically connectedto the system bus 121 through a nonremovable memory interface such asinterface 140. Magnetic disk drive 151 and optical disc drive 155 aretypically connected to the system bus 121 by a removable memoryinterface, such as interface 150.

The drives and their associated computer-storage media discussed aboveand illustrated in FIG. 1 provide storage of computer-readableinstructions, data structures, program modules and other data forcomputer 110. For example, hard disk drive 141 is illustrated as storingoperating system 144, application programs 145, other program modules146, and program data 147. Note that these components can either be thesame as or different from operating system 134, application programs135, other program modules 136, and program data 137. Typically, theoperating system, application programs and the like that are stored inRAM are portions of the corresponding systems, programs, or data readfrom hard disk drive 141, the portions varying in size and scopedepending on the functions desired. Operating system 144, applicationprograms 145, other program modules 146, and program data 147 are givendifferent numbers here to illustrate that, at a minimum, they can bedifferent copies. A user may enter commands and information into thecomputer 110 through input devices such as a keyboard 162; pointingdevice 161, commonly referred to as a mouse, trackball or touch pad; ascreen with user input capacity such as touch-screens and screenscapable of receiving stylus inputs; a wireless-input-reception component163; or a wireless source such as a remote control. Other input devices(not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellitedish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are oftenconnected to the processing unit 120 through a user-input interface 160that is coupled to the system bus 121 but may be connected by otherinterface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port, IEEE1394 port, or a universal serial bus (USB), or infrared (IR) bus.

A display device 191 is also connected to the system bus 121 via aninterface, such as a video interface 190. Display device 191 can be anydevice to display the output of computer 110 not limited to a monitor,an LCD screen, a Thin Film Transistor (TFT) screen, a flat-paneldisplay, a conventional television, or screen projector. In addition tothe display device 191, computers may also include other peripheraloutput devices such as speakers 197 and printer 196, which may beconnected through an output peripheral interface 195.

The computer 110 in the present invention will operate in a networkedenvironment using logical connections to one or more remote computers,such as a remote computer 180. The remote computer 180 may be a personalcomputer, and typically includes many or all of the elements describedabove relative to the computer 110, although only a memory storagedevice 181 has been illustrated in FIG. 1. The logical connectionsdepicted in FIG. 1 include a local-area network (LAN) 171 and awide-area network (WAN) 173 but may also include other networks, such asconnections to a metropolitan-area network (MAN), intranet, or theInternet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 110 is connectedto the LAN 171 through a network interface or adapter 170. When used ina WAN networking environment, the computer 110 typically includes amodem 172 or other means for establishing communications over the WAN173, such as the Internet. The modem 172, which may be internal orexternal, may be connected to the system bus 121 via the networkinterface 170, or other appropriate mechanism. Modem 172 could be acable modem, DSL modem, or other broadband device. In a networkedenvironment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 110, orportions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. Byway of example, and not limitation, FIG. 1 illustrates remoteapplication programs 185 as residing on memory device 181. It will beappreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and othermeans of establishing a communications link between the computers may beused.

Although many other internal components of the computer 110 are notshown, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that suchcomponents and the interconnections are well-known. For example,including various expansion cards such as television-tuner cards andnetwork-interface cards within a computer 110 is conventional.Accordingly, additional details concerning the internal construction ofthe computer 110 need not be disclosed in connection with the presentinvention.

When the computer 110 is turned on or reset, the BIOS 133, which isstored in ROM 131, instructs the processing unit 120 to load theoperating system, or necessary portion thereof, from the hard disk drive141 into the RAM 132. Once the copied portion of the operating system,designated as operating system 144, is loaded into RAM 132, theprocessing unit 120 executes the operating-system code and causes thevisual elements associated with the user interface of the operatingsystem 134 to be displayed on the display device 191. Typically, when anapplication program 145 is opened by a user, the program code andrelevant data are read from the hard disk drive 141 and the necessaryportions are copied into RAM 132, the copied portion represented hereinby reference numeral 135.

As previously mentioned, the present invention may be described in thegeneral context of computer-useable instructions. Computer-useableinstructions include functions, procedures, schemas, routines, codesegments, and modules useable by one or more computers or other devices.The computer-useable instructions form an interface to allow a computerto react according to a source of input. The instructions cooperate withother code segments to initiate a variety of tasks in response to datareceived in conjunction with the source of the received data.

FIG. 3 depicts a flow diagram showing a computer-implemented method 300for selecting a view mode and a setting within that view mode for one ormore items in a screen display in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. At 310, the method 300 obtains a single user inputindicative of a selection of one of a plurality of available view modesand also indicative of a selection of a setting within the selected viewmode. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, such a user input maybe obtained via an input mechanism such as a hardware input device or asoftware view control presented in a graphical user interface. Uponobtaining the single user input, the method maps the input to theselected view mode at 320 and maps the single user input to the selectedsetting within that view mode at 330. Preferably, the single user inputis mapped to the selected view mode and the selected setting atsubstantially the same time.

Turning to FIG. 4, a graphical user interface 400 is presented. The GUI400 includes a screen display 410 and a view control 420 in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. The screen display 410 maybe a conventional computer monitor screen display as is well-known inthe art and will therefore not be discussed in further detail herein.However, the view control 420 advances the state of the art by mapping asingle user selection to a selected view mode and a selected settingwithin that view mode. Several exemplary embodiments of the view controlof the present invention are set forth in FIGS. 5-9.

FIG. 5 shows a view control 500 with a pointer 510 hovering thereover.The view control 500 includes a setting range display 520 for displayingavailable settings and a mode range display 530 for displaying availablemodes. A selection indicator 540 is positioned within the setting rangedisplay 520 to indicate a user selection. One example of a view modesetting is icon size. Alternatively, “setting” could refer to otherparameters such as an arrangement or ordering of displayed items basedon name, type, date, etc.

Referring next to FIGS. 6 and 7, exemplary view controls 600 and 700 aredepicted. The view control 600 includes a setting range display 620 inthe form of a slider input which utilizes a selection indicator 640 toreflect a user selection. Similarly, the view control 700 includes asetting range display 720 in the form of a slider input which utilizes aselection indicator 740 to reflect a user selection. As those skilled inthe art will appreciate, the slider controls 620 and 720 preferablyprovide an end user with a continuous spectrum of available settings tochoose from using, for example, pointers 610 and 710 to manipulateselection indicators 640 and 740 and select any of a plurality ofsettings. Alternatively, the slider controls 620, 720 may provide an enduser with multiple, discrete settings which are available.

The view controls 600, 700 include respective mode range displays 630and 730. The mode range display 630 presents an indicator 650 for ModeA, an indicator 660 for Mode B, and an indicator 670 for Mode C. Morethan one setting is presented to the user in each of the modes 650, 660,670 shown in FIG. 6 to assist the user in selecting a particular modeand setting. Although mode range display 630 illustrates three modeindicators, the invention is not limited to a particular number of modesor mode indicators. Rather, the exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention shown in FIG. 6 contemplates user selection of one mode fromtwo or more available modes. Examples of view modes include: List,Details, Tiles, Properties, Preview, Icons, Large Icons, Medium Icons,Small Icons and Thumbnails. Those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the foregoing list of exemplary modes is a non-exhaustive list andthat many other modes are contemplated by the present invention.Similarly, many other settings in addition to those mentioned above arewithin the scope of the present invention.

In FIG. 7, the mode range display 730 depicts a single mode having fourdiscrete, default settings 750, 760, 770, 780. Preferably, each defaultsetting is represented by a button. As shown in FIG. 7, a user mayselect the setting 760 by hovering a pointer 710 over that button andselecting it to invoke the selected setting and view mode. It should benoted that the icon size and amount of metadata increases in FIG. 7 asthe selection indicator 740 moves in a downwardly direction. However, inan alternative exemplary design, the size and/or amount of metadatashown may actually be deliberately decreased because the increasing sizeof the icon limits the amount of available space.

The image displayed within a setting may be a function of the itemdisplayed and/or icon size. For example, if the item displayed is ashortcut, it could be represented by an appropriate icon irrespective ofsize. But if the item is a Word™ document, and the image size selectedis large enough, then a rendering of the document content may bepresented to the user in a miniature facsimile. If the item is a singlephoto, then a likeness of the entire image may be represented.

With reference to FIG. 8, an exemplary view control 800 includes adiscrete range of setting displays 820 and a discrete range ofcorresponding modes 850, 860 and 870. Each of the modes 850, 860, 870 isassociated with one or more settings in the setting range display. Iffor example, there are six discrete settings (i.e., settings 1-6), someof them may be applicable to one or more modes. As shown in FIG. 8,settings 1-4 are applicable to Mode A and Mode B, and settings 1, 3, 5and 6 are applicable to Mode C. The shading 840 indicates that setting 3in Mode C is the currently selected state.

FIG. 9 is a diagram representative of an exemplary implementation of aview control in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.A split button control 900 may be located in any convenient portion ofthe screen display. By selecting the left-hand side of button 900, theview state toggles between the available modes and a preferred settingwhich is associated with each mode. The face of the left-hand portion ofthe split button changes upon activation to indicate the currentlyselected mode. The preferred setting is a stored value of view settingthat is different for each mode and has a prior value determined byprior adjustment or by the location of the items displayed or bysystem-wide indication. The user may change the preferred setting byactivation and selection of a mode and setting using the right-hand sideof the split button 900.

The setting and mode may be simultaneously selected by clicking on theright half of the split button to activate a slider control, and thenadjusting the selection indicator as shown in 910. For example, a usermay click on the right half of button 900 and hold the mouse buttondown, in which case the user can move the selection indicator up or downand release the mouse button to make the selection. Alternatively, auser may click on the right half of button 900 and immediately releasethe mouse button, in which case the user can then navigate the pointerto the desired position on the slider control and select the desiredmode and setting by clicking on the desired position. There are manyother in which the user can navigate up or down the slider control, suchas a combination of one or more keystrokes or holding the control keydown while moving the mouse wheel. The slider control may be configuredto automatically dismiss itself at some point in time after theselection has been made by the user.

The selection indicated in 910 adjusts the icon size in a thumbnail viewmode and selects the setting of icon size which is slightly larger thanthe middle setting. The view modes represented in the mode indicationdisplay include details icon view mode at the top of the mode display,details tiles view mode in the middle of the mode display, and thumbnailview mode (as indicated in 920). The details view mode may, for example,include all of the metadata sequentially in horizontal arrangement. Asthe selection indicator is moved downwardly along the slider inputthrough the details view mode, the amount of metadata is decreased as afunction of the displacement of the selection indicator. This change inthe amount of metadata can be linear or non-linear with respect to thevertical displacement of the selection indicator. Similarly, as shown in930, the size of the thumbnails increase as the selection indicator ismoved upwardly along the slider input through the thumbnails view mode.As shown in 940, the mode range display serves as an alternative controlto the slider control so that a user may click on a default settingdisplayed in a menu to select both the mode and the setting with asingle selection. One skilled in the art will readily appreciate thatmany alternative implementations are contemplated by and within thescope of the present invention.

In the case of a continuous slider input, each location on the slidercorresponds to a discrete value (or setting) within a range represented,for example, as a percentage between 1% and 100%. Every value in thatrange corresponds to an icon size and view setting. Importantly, therange in this example is not limited to 100 values. Rather, thecontinuous slider input can be designed to achieve any level ofgranularity, such as 3.00001% (as opposed to 3% or 3.01%). Moreover, therelationship between that value and icon size is not necessarily director linear. A point in the middle of the smallest thumbnail and thelargest thumbnail will not necessarily result in a thumbnail half of thesize of the largest thumbnail.

As a further example, the range of 41% to 100% may correspond tothumbnails view with icon sizes of 256-16 pixels (large to small), andthe range of 1% to 40% may correspond to icons sizes of 16-96 pixels(small to large). Within the range of 1% to 40%, the sub-range of 1% to10% corresponds to details view and the sub-range of 11% to 40%corresponds to tiles view. In this example, each view mode handlesspecific layout issues. Thumbnails view handles whether text is centeredunderneath the thumbnail (for large thumbnails) or left aligned next tothe thumbnail (small thumbnails). Details view handles layout issuessuch as how to align an icon with text. Tiles view handles layout issuessuch as how many lines of metadata are to be displayed next to the icon.For each of the views, the last slider value is remembered independentlyfor this range so that the view is the same size it was the last time itwas utilized.

Some points along the slider may cause “snapping.” For instance, theslider can be designed to snap to the 40% value. It may be impossible toposition the slider at 41% to 43% or from 37% to 39% without having theslider jump to the 40% position. Multiple locations on the slider maysnap to respective, discrete values in the range.

Alternative embodiments and implementations of the present inventionwill become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertainsupon review of the specification, including the drawing figures.Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is defined by theappended claims rather than the foregoing description.

1. A computer-implemented method for selecting a mode for one or moreitems in a screen display, the method comprising: providing a graphicaldepiction of the current mode on a user interface control; obtaining asingle user input indicative of a selection of one of a plurality ofavailable modes; mapping the single user input to the selected mode; andproviding a graphical depiction of the selected mode on the userinterface control.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: storinga preferred setting for each of the plurality of available modes; andmapping the single user input to the stored preferred setting for theselected mode.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the input device is akeyboard.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the input device is apointing device.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interfacecontrol is a button control in a graphical user interface.
 6. The methodof claim 2, wherein the single user input is mapped to the selected modeand to the preferred setting substantially simultaneously.
 7. One ormore computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions storedthereon for performing the method of claim
 1. 8. A graphical userinterface embodied on one or more computer-readable media and executableon a computer, said graphical user interface comprising: a screendisplay for displaying one or more items in one of a plurality ofavailable modes; and a control presented in the screen display as agraphical representation of the current mode and operable to obtain asingle user input indicative of both a selected mode and a selectedsetting within the selected mode.
 9. The graphical user interface ofclaim 8, wherein the control comprises a button control.
 10. Thegraphical user interface of claim 8, wherein the one or more items arerepresented in the screen display by one or more icons and the selectedsetting determines the icon size.
 11. The graphical user interface ofclaim 10, wherein metadata corresponding to the one or more items isdisplayed in the screen display and the selected setting determines theamount of metadata to display as a function of the icon size.
 12. Thegraphical user interface of claim 9, wherein the button control providesfor user selection of an available mode and a setting from a pluralityof available modes and settings by cycling through the available modesand settings sequentially in response to each user input.
 13. Thegraphical user interface of claim 12, wherein the current availablemodes are represented by graphical objects.
 14. The graphical userinterface of claim 13, wherein the face of the button graphicallydepicts the selected mode.
 15. The graphical user interface of claim 8,wherein the plurality of available modes includes at least one of thefollowing view modes: list, details, properties, preview, thumbnails,tiles and icons.
 16. The graphical user interface of claim 8, whereinthe selected setting arranges the one or more displayed items byproperty.
 17. The graphical user interface of claim 8, wherein theselected setting is one of a plurality of size options for the one ormore displayed items.
 18. A view control in a graphical user interfacefor user selection of a view mode from a plurality of available viewmodes and a setting within that view mode, the view control comprising:a display component for providing a graphical depiction of the currentview mode; and a user selection component operable to receive a singleuser selection indicative of one of the available view modes and of onesetting associated with the selected view mode.
 19. The view control ofclaim 18, wherein the display component comprises a button control whichpresents a graphical representation of the selected view mode.
 20. Theview control of claim 18, wherein the view control is presented in anoperating system.
 21. The view control of claim 18, wherein the viewcontrol is presented in an application program.
 22. The view control ofclaim 18, wherein the view control is presented in a web interface. 23.An apparatus for selecting a view mode and a setting in the view modefor a screen display in which one or more items may be displayed in aplurality of view modes, the apparatus comprising: an input mechanismfor obtaining a single user input indicative of both a selected viewmode and a setting in the selected view mode in response to a graphicaldepiction of the selected view mode and the setting in the selected viewmode; and computer-useable instructions for mapping the single userinput to the selected view mode and for mapping the single user input tothe setting in the selected view mode.
 24. The apparatus of claim 23,wherein the input mechanism is an input device.
 25. The apparatus ofclaim 23, wherein the input device is a keyboard, a pointing device, ora stylus.
 26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the input mechanism isa view control presented in a graphical user interface.
 27. A computersystem configured for user selection of a view mode and a preferredsetting within that view mode for a screen display in which one or moreitems may be displayed in a plurality of view modes, the systemcomprising: means for simultaneous selection, by a user, of one viewmode from a plurality of available view modes and of a preferred settingwithin said one view mode; and means for applying said one view mode andsaid preferred setting in response to said simultaneous selection by theuser.
 28. The method of claim 1, where the user interface control is asingle user interface control.